


The Other Side of the Door

by laurelofthestory



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Mild Language, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-07 09:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17363798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelofthestory/pseuds/laurelofthestory
Summary: Kris and Susie go to the supply closet to get chalk. They find someone already waiting on the other side, and things just get messier from there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Longtime Undertale lurker, first time content poster. I wrote a lot of this to bolster my word count during NaNo when I was super inspired by the game and before there was a ton of fic for it. I have no doubt someone else has done this by now, but I'm trying to post almost everything I write, so hopefully someone enjoys this. I'm not sure if or when this will actually be added to, but I have a few chapters already written, so there's some content to be had.

_“It’d be a shame to make her bury her child.”_

There’s something in the back of your mind outraged by the comment, and you want to respond to her with some sarcastic quip. But just like earlier, you can’t force the words out—it’s frustrating, how you literally cannot talk to save your life sometimes. So instead, you simply pout and follow Susie down the hall.

You do decide to spite her a bit now that the mortal terror has subsided; you drag your feet, pretend to be interested in the poster for the upcoming dance (you probably won’t go, as usual, it’s loud and awkward and there are too many people). You take a drink from the water fountain (she makes fun of you for it, of course, despite the fact that your mom taught you to  _never_ put your mouth on the spout). You even peek into your mom’s classroom, lingering for a moment and half wanting to open the door and tell her what had happened and get her help, but no, you’re in high school now and the other kids were right, you don’t need your mom to come rushing in to save you from all your problems.

Azzy used to do that plenty well in her stead, anyway, and with less embarrassment. Your heart pangs. You wonder how he’d handle Susie if he were here.

_Be kind. He’d always be kind._

You’re filled with determination. You follow Susie.

She’s scowling at you, arms crossed. You can feel her glare even if her eyes are hidden behind her bangs. “God, can you walk any slower?”

You bite your lip and resist the urge to shuffle your feet even more. You shrug. She scoffs and turns away.

You follow her down the hallway until the supply closet comes into sight. For some reason, the area in front of the closet seems a little darker and colder than usual; Susie doesn’t seem to notice, so you wonder if it’s just your mind playing tricks on you again. After all, the supply closet is not one of your usual hangout spots.

“Well, here’s the closet,” Susie says, “Too bad, we were just starting to have fun.”

The grin on her face when she looks back at you makes you wonder if she’s going to shove you into the closet and lock you in there until someone comes to your rescue. You definitely wouldn’t put it past her. You cross your arms and take a step back, shaking your head resolutely; if that’s her plan, you’re not going to make it easy for her.

Susie huffs, sending her bangs fluttering. “You can’t even open a door? I--”

Whatever insult she’s about to throw your way is cut off by a strange sound that drags both of your gazes towards the door--a high-pitched squeak, followed by knocking and banging, papers scattering, and the symphony of office supplies clattering to the floor. It brings to mind the image of a small animal that managed to lock itself in, and you briefly wonder if that small white dog that’s been following you around for the past couple of days followed you to school.

_(The small white dog is, presumably, smart enough to avoid locking himself in a closet. It’s definitely not the dog.)_

Susie takes a step back to stand next to you. Her expression is unreadable, but there’s a noticeable clench to her jaw.

“Hey, Kris...Is it me, or is _something_ in there?”

A chill runs down your spine. You only manage a nod. The thing in the closet squeaks again and seems to be scrabbling at the door.

“Fine. If you’re gonna be a _wimp,_ then I’ll…” Susie glances between you and the door for a moment, “...We’ll both open the doors at the same time.”

You pull a face, but honestly, you’re scared enough to not have your whole heart in it. Susie isn’t great company, but she’s stronger than you. If anything, she can take the hit while you run. So you nod and step up to the door on your left, as Susie reluctantly walks up to the other. You both take a handle each.

With your free hand, you hold up three fingers. For once, Susie doesn’t comment on your silence, simply nodding and speaking for you.

“On ‘go’. Three...two...one… _go!_ ”

You both pull open the doors at the same time, and a green blur that had apparently been trying to get them open flies past you and skids about a yard down the hallway with a sound like a startled squeaky toy. You jump sideways to avoid it, while Susie bangs her door shut in alarm, and you both stare at the stranger, who seems less like an animal and more like a person.

They’re breathing heavily and seem to be trying to collect themself, getting their hands under them shakily. They’re smaller than you, and you can see a green poncho, wide-brimmed hat that reminds you of drawings of wizards, and a garishly pink scarf. You also think you might see floppy ears, but the stranger quickly adjusts their hat, and they’re flattened to the sides of their head.

“Oh...I was supposed to _push_ the doors…”

Their voice is rather soft, understated, and high-pitched. They turn towards the two of you, dusting themself off, and you...can’t exactly see their face, hidden in the shadows of the brim of their hat, but you can see the faint reflection of light off of the frames of glasses, and their eyes and the small blush on their face are nearly luminescent.

“How do you not figure that out?” Susie says, totally acting as if she wasn’t startled at all by the stranger’s appearance.

“Well...I…” The stranger seems to be trying to hide in their scarf. “I didn’t know I would come out in a closet…I-I panicked...just a little bit...”

They clasp their hands in front of their chest, staring at the floor. You can see now that there’s a little black heart embroidered on the poncho. There’s a moment of painfully awkward silence, before they look up suddenly, their eyes wide.

“Y--you’re Kris and Susie! I knew you’d be here!”

Your eyes go just as wide, and you step back. So does Susie. The stranger shrinks away, and when you glance over at Susie, you can see she’s baring her impressive teeth. You wonder if she could eat the stranger’s head whole, and decide you don’t want to find out.

“Who’s _asking?_ ” Susie growls, low in her throat. The stranger seems to try and shrink even more.

“Eep! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!” The stranger clasps and unclasps their hands, then settles for a bow, deep at the waist. “My name is Ralsei. I am the Prince of the Dark Kingdom, though I...don’t currently have any subjects. I’ve been waiting for you two for a long time!”

This statement is absolutely hilarious. It’s so funny, I can’t stop laughing, and when you bother trying to ask why I simply respond with  _t_ _he name_ and no further explanation. None should be needed.

“You’re the  _what_ of  _what?_ ” Susie’s snarl does an effective job of snapping you back to the present, and you look at Ralsei with puzzlement.

Ralsei seems to lose some of his confidence and starts twiddling with the long end of his scarf. “Sorry, I know this all must sound very strange, but I have something very important I came here to tell you!”

Susie throws up her hands. “Nope. Already too weird. You need to find your way back to your mommy, Kris’s good at that. I’m out.”

“Oh, that’s not it at all,” Ralsei replies, sounding a little desperate now.

You can’t help but be a little bit intrigued, but you can’t exactly force words out with Susie standing so close by, no matter how much you try. So instead, you make a vague gesture and a nod that you hope he’ll interpret as permission. He looks at you with those intelligent, kind eyes shining even in the shadows of his hat, and you can swear you _feel_ the gratitude coming off of him.

“Okay, so...I’m from another world. The Dark World. Uh, like I just said. I opened a portal between that world and your world in that closet, but I couldn’t be sure you’d come through on your own, so I decided to come out after you, and I...might’ve been curious about your world, a bit, eheh, but--but I need you to come back through with me, it’s really important!”

“And _why_ should we do that?” Susie crosses her arms and shoots you a thinly-veiled glare, likely for setting him off.

“Well, in my world...there’s a legend.” Ralsei clears his throat and pulls himself up as if trying to stand taller, his voice taking on a more certain, recitative tone, “ _I_ _t is a legend of hope, it is a legend of dreams. It is a legend of light, it is a legend of darkness. This is the legend of Delta Rune._ ”

The story he weaves is rather unbelievable; a day when the world was set to fall apart because of the balance of light and darkness, and three warriors destined to stop it. You can practically see him light up when he talks of them, the human, the monster, and the prince from the dark. Susie’s face betrays no reaction, but for some reason or other, the story stirs something in you. You remember Alphys talking with some of the older students about magic theory, about light and darkness, and now you wish you’d paid more attention. The way he tells the story also reminds you of something you can’t quite place, like a strong feeling of deja vu.

_(I could tell you what it was. But what would be the fun in that?)_

Something in the depths of your soul actually kind of believes him, which is a little weird for you. Maybe it’s the conviction he has in telling the story. Maybe it’s that resonance you feel inside of you. But whatever the reason, when he stops and looks up at you expectantly, eyes full of hope and admiration, you find yourself nodding back.

Susie does not seem to feel the same way.

“...Okay. You two enjoy yourselves. I’m out.”

Ralsei squeaks quietly in alarm. “But Susie! We need you too, I’m _sure_ you’re the monster!”

“And I’m sure you haven’t spent too long in that closet, freak,” Susie snaps, already taking steps past him and down the hall. You want to reach out for her, to grab her arm, but the memory of her shoving you into the lockers earlier flashes before your eyes and you can’t bring yourself to move.

Ralsei doesn’t seem to have that self-control, however, and actually does grab her sleeve, bouncing on the heels of his feet. “Susie, please! You _have_ to come!”

Quick as a flash, Susie jerks her arm out of his grip and turns, other hand going to Ralsei’s shoulder in the same way it rested on yours earlier. You take a couple of steps forward, hands outstretched as if that’s going to do anything, and curse yourself for freezing up at a time like this. Ralsei doesn’t seem to realize the danger he’s in, even as Susie leans down to his eye level.

“I don’t _have_ to do _anything, freak._ And _don’t. Touch me. If you want to keep your hand. Or your **face.** "_

She gives him a terrible grin, flashing sharp teeth. You can see him shudder.

Then all at once, it’s over. Susie removes her hand and turns away, leaving Ralsei stunned. “Anyway, I’m gonna go tell Alphys we couldn’t find the stupid chalk. You want to hang out with the freak, fine, just don’t forget to get started on _our_ project.”

She chuckles in a way that’s not really nice at all and heads off down the hallway, turning the corner towards Alphys’s classroom. You and Ralsei stare after her in equal amounts of dismay. You listen as her footsteps fade, then stop, and you hear the door to Alphys’s classroom open and shut. You and Ralsei just stay there in silence for a long moment.

When Ralsei turns back to you, he’s clutching his scarf. “Kris...We can’t do this without her. But--will _you_ come, at least?”

You open your mouth, then close it, testing the words in your throat. Surprisingly, despite Ralsei being a stranger, you find you can talk to him; you tell him that you believe him, and he seems to practically deflate in relief.

_But,_ you quickly add, you absolutely, definitely _cannot_ skip class to go investigate the supposed portal in the closet, because your mom is a teacher and you’re pretty sure she would have a heart attack if she found out you skipped school.

He says something weird, then, after nodding as if he understood. “What’s school?”

You aren’t sure how to answer that. Sure, you’ve met people who are homeschooled (Noelle probably would’ve been if her dad...well). But someone who doesn’t know what school _is?_ You ask him to clarify--he’s _never_ been in a school?

“If I have, I don’t remember, I’m sorry.” He keeps apologizing, keeps fidgeting. “I’ve...well, I’ve honestly been waiting for you to show up...my whole life. Remember when I said I didn’t have any subjects? I’ve lived in a castle...alone...until now…”

You find that hard to imagine, and yet, that’d certainly explain a lot about his behavior. You kind of feel sorry for him. Sure, school’s sucked for you, especially for the past few years, because middle-school kids are assholes and you’re quiet and weird and your mom still insists on holding your hand when you cross the street, but you can’t imagine having _never gone._

Words are hard for you even when you can get them out, so it takes a bit for you to explain that you and he are  _in a school_ right now. A school is a place where you learn about things from teachers, who’d talk about subjects and sometimes (often, _too_ often) make you do work at home to make sure you were listening.

He listens with rapt attention and doesn’t finish your sentences for you or pressure you to talk faster or stammer less, which is kind of a relief. His eyes are bright with curiosity, and he seems to become excited when you talk about your schoolbooks. “Oh! I’ve read a lot of books--I’ve never gone to a _school,_ but there were lots of books in the castle on  _lots_ of different things and I must’ve read _all_ of them.”

You manage a flicker of a smile in his direction, which he seems to return, if only in his eyes. But before you can tell him that schoolbooks are actually terribly dull and boring and usually about stuff no one actually wants to read about, you hear the door to Alphys’s classroom open and shut again, and the sound of clicking claws down the hallway.

“Th-they need to _tell_ me these things i-in advance,” you hear Alphys muttering, her voice amplified by the cold linoleum, “I-if we were gonna get an exchange student, I-I’m gonna have to…”

You and Ralsei look down the hall, and you see Alphys turning the corner, examining something on her phone and getting a ways down the hall before you clear your throat and she jumps, nearly dropping the device.

“O-oh, Kris! I-I thought I’d have to go looking for you...w-when Susie came back without you, I was kind of worried, but--but she said you met a new friend?”

You’re...not sure how you’re going to explain Ralsei’s presence to Alphys, now that you think about it. It isn’t necessarily _hard_ to lie to Alphys and make it believable, but you’re bad under pressure and your gut kind of churns up when you lie.

Ralsei, however, doesn’t seem nearly as nervous as you and gives Alphys an energetic wave. “Hi! Are you Kris’s teacher?”

Alphys seems surprised by his forwardness, fumbling with her phone for a moment as if she wants to look down at it but also knows she probably shouldn’t (you can sympathize). “I--well, yes, I’m a--uh--biology teacher, actually, I-I’m Miss Alphys.”

“Hi, Miss Alphys! I’m--”

You cut him off before he can jump into his spiel. You tell Alphys your friend’s name, and that he’s visiting from somewhere far away for just a day or two.

“Oh? W-well, that’s lovely…” Alphys manages a smile, sweat dripping down her forehead, “I-I do hope it won’t interfere with your and Susie’s project, though…”

Ralsei gasps, “You and Susie are working on a _project?_ Can I join you?”

“O-oh...I…” Alphys doesn’t seem to know what to do, and neither do you. Your shoulders go tense. You know full well that _you’re_ going to wind up doing the entire project with little to no input from Susie, and you also know you can’t really say that in front of Alphys or she’ll talk to Susie who’s gonna try to bite your face off again.

But, he looks so hopeful, and you, for some reason, blurt out that you’d be _fine_ with him joining you two.

Why would you _say_ that? You _know_ it’s a bad idea. But the words are already out and Ralsei’s clasping his hands in front of him like this is the best news he’s ever heard and Alphys is fidgeting again and you feel like the whole world’s staring at you. Your throat closes up.

“W-well, they do say teaching someone else helps with comprehension…” Alphys taps her claws together and gives a nervous grin, “A-all right, I’ll allow it. A-and if you need somewhere to study, I-I can leave the classroom open for you three!”

You want to protest, but it seems you’ve lost the ability to talk again, so you just stand there frustrated as Ralsei nods eagerly. “We’d love that! Right, Kris?”

You just nod tightly, because what else can you do in this situation? Your life’s already flashing before your eyes thinking of Susie’s reaction. Just because you’re pretty sure she doesn’t actually want to _murder_ you doesn’t mean she won’t make the rest of your high school life utter hell for this.

Deep breath. You look between the end of the hall, Alphys, and Ralsei, who’s bouncing on his feet in a way only someone totally unfamiliar with group projects would in this situation.

A spark of determination flares up in your soul. You’ll protect him from Susie. _It’s what Asriel would do if he were here._

...And then you take another look at Ralsei, and suddenly realize why the voice in your head could not seem to get over his name.

_Oh, goddamn it._


	2. Chapter 2

Ralsei sits in for the rest of your class, on the floor in the corner because Alphys can’t find a spare desk without wasting the rest of the period. Susie doesn’t even give you or Ralsei a second look as Alphys goes on about magical energy and its link to soul power. Ralsei seems to know a surprising amount about magic, as he keeps raising his hand and answering questions excitedly despite not actually being a part of the class. Berdly and Susie and even MK seem to find it annoying, but honestly, you think it’s kind of cute that he's so much more _excited_ about it than you.

When the bell rings, you stand and quickly gesture for Ralsei to come over, which he does, already babbling even as the other kids whisper amongst themselves and shoot him looks. You haven’t been able to pay much attention to the lesson, as you were too busy cursing your own idiocy and also trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do now, because when are you supposed to go through that portal and _how_ are you going to explain that to your mom?

You’ve come to the conclusion that you’ll cover it up by telling her you’re showing a friend around town. You don’t like lying to your mom, but you reason that it would probably be better for everyone if she’s not panicking.

So you grab Ralsei’s hand (it’s very fluffy and warm) and start pulling him along behind you as you exit into the hallway. He squeaks a bit in surprise and nearly trips over his own feet, but follows you regardless.

Alphys calls out after you that she’ll have the room open for your project after classes ended for the day. You start walking faster in case Susie heard that.

Your mom’s classroom is just across the hall, though thankfully it seems most of her students have already left (you don’t feel like wading through a sea of seven-year-olds at the moment). You glance in the window and see a white, fuzzy blob in blue sitting at the desk.

Taking a deep breath, you push open the door and step inside. Your mom looks up from the book she’s reading (you catch a glimpse of a cartoon snail on the cover, of _course_ ), and her eyebrows shoot up when she sees you.

“Kris? Is everything all right, my child?”

“Hi, Mrs. Kris’s Mom!” Ralsei calls out cheerfully from behind you, waving a hand. You _cringe_ at the choice of honorific and shoot your mom an apologetic look, but she doesn’t seem to mind, more concerned about Ralsei himself.

“Oh!” She slips a (snail-themed) bookmark into the pages of her book and closes it, standing and halving the distance between you. She’s looking over Ralsei with her hands clasped in front of her and a searching, but not unkind gaze. “Kris? Have you made a new friend? And simply ‘miss’ is fine, thank you.”

You told Ralsei that you’d do the talking earlier, and he thankfully sticks to his promise to keep quiet as you explain to your mom that Ralsei’s a new exchange student working with you and your other partner (you don’t want to mention Susie by name, not right now) on a class project. Her face absolutely _lights up_ at the prospect of you having a friend, despite the fact that you haven’t really claimed to _be_ friends with him, but thankfully she stays quiet as you tell her you and he will be staying late to work on your project and you might show him around town later.

“All by yourself? Oh, aren’t you all grown up...But perhaps it would be easier if I drove you?”

You shake your head. Your mom frowns deeply.

“Hmm...Won’t your friend--” you half expect her to start giggling giddily, your mom’s kind of embarrassing like that--”be tired out after working so hard on your project? Ralsei, dear, where are you staying? We can pick you up tomorrow.”

Your stomach sinks as you look to Ralsei, a desperate expression on your face. He, of course, does not realize the minefield he’s walking and responds, “Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have anywhere specific, Miss Toriel.”

You can see the surprise in your mom’s face, and the conclusion she arrives at a moment later. Your mom’s always been notorious for giving a home to anything and anyone that needed it, including several small animals in the past (that your dad quietly set free when she wasn’t looking so the house wouldn’t get overrun; it was one of the things they argued about, and you wonder how your mom hasn’t turned into a crazy cat lady since the split). But you really, _really_ don’t want Ralsei to stay at your house overnight. The prospect terrifies you.

_ (It really shouldn’t, though. After all, what’s there to be afraid of?) _

But your mom’s got that look in her eyes that says she’ll not be deterred, and a lump of dread settles in your gut as she says, “You may stay with us, then, if your family would be all right with it. There’s even an extra bed in Kris's room since their brother went off to college--oh, wouldn’t it be lovely to have him stay, Kris?”

All you can do is nod once, stiffly. Judging by the way your mom looks past you both, Ralsei’s likely reminded her of your brother, so there’s _definitely_ no stopping her, and Ralsei’s already excited. Even as you say goodbye, promise to call her when you’re ready to be picked up, and leave for the hallway, and Ralsei’s already bouncing on his feet and going on about how excited he is to see where ‘a real-life Lightner’ lives, what Susie said to you earlier rings in your mind.

_ Haven’t you figured it out by now? Your choices don’t matter. _

 


	3. Chapter 3

Ralsei follows you to the rest of your classes that day. The teachers love him, while the students are indifferent or curious about him at best. You can’t pay attention to anything, of course, as your ( _obviously completely unwarranted_ ) worry about the upcoming night fills your mind. Your last period of the day is gym, which you hate, but Ralsei seems amused enough by a hula hoop one of the faculty offers him to not pay much attention to you failing at running laps.

Really, after that, you just want to go home, despite your dread. But unfortunately, your study session in Alphys’s classroom looms over your head, and you’re forced to drag your sweaty, exhausted body back down the hall, Ralsei by your side babbling excitedly.

“Hey, hey Kris, did you see me? I got really good at that...ring thing.”

You inform him of the item’s actual name.

“Right, hoop! That’s what I meant to say! I’ve never seen anything like it, do you think I could ask if I could take one with me back to the dark world? I’d love to improve at it. I got up to ten seconds!”

You make a noncommittal hand gesture, your dread turning from tonight to the immediate future as you near the classroom--Susie’s going to be there, and likely not pleased.

Ralsei doesn’t seem to notice your trepidation. “I think I like your school. Once we save the dark world together, I’d like to come back--if that’s okay with you. Oh! Susie’s already here! Hi, Susie!”

Indeed, as you two turn the corner, you can see Susie leaning on the lockers outside of Alphys’s classroom. Ralsei waves at her, but her only response is to scowl and turn to walk into the classroom. You swallow hard and enter after her with Ralsei. Susie takes a seat at the back corner of the classroom. Ralsei, to your dismay, energetically joins her.

Alphys is standing at the front of the classroom, wearing a pair of earbuds and staring down at her phone. She seems intent on what she’s watching, so you clear your throat to get her attention. Alphys startles, nearly dropping the phone and pulling out one earbud.

“O-oh, you’re here! Great!” She laughs nervously, “I, er, can’t really leave you guys alone in here, i-it’s against policy, b-but don’t worry, I won’t be a bother! You guys can work, a-and let me know when you’re ready to go. Until then, I’ll just be watching some--uhh, looking at some work materials! Y-yeah, that’s it...”

You nod, skeptical. Alphys flashes another anxious smile your way before putting her earbud back in and sitting behind her desk, holding her phone close to her face. You highly doubt she’s watching anything educational, as you can hear her muttering _“yeah, you tell that stupid bear, Naegi-san!”_ under her breath as you pass by on your way to the back of the classroom.

By the time you sit down at the third desk in the corner and drop the backpack on the floor, Ralsei’s already struck up a conversation with Susie--or, at least, he’s tried to. Susie’s pointedly ignoring him and staring at the wall.

“--and then was math class, and I got to help out the teacher by pointing out she’d written the wrong remainder on the board, she said she was tired,” Ralsei was saying, “Then we had gym, and they let me try a...what was it called, Kris? Hoopla hoop? That sounds right. That was delightful, I kept it spinning for ten seconds, but my ears kept hitting me in the face, which was unpleasant. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been moving my head so much? Oh, but how was _your_ day, Susie?”

Susie takes a few seconds to answer, clearly having not paid any attention. “Huh? Oh. Fine.”

“Did you do gym too?”

“Gym sucks ass.”

Ralsei chuckled a little nervously. “W-well, you’ll be happy to know that the Dark World has no such thing as gym class. You _will_ be joining us, won’t you? I might be delaying my return another day because Kris’s mother generously--”

“No.”

You look to the ceiling as if the answers to all of your problems can be found in the flickering fluorescent lights. You can hear Ralsei spluttering. “B-but it’s your destiny. Don’t you want to save the world?”

“Do I _look_ like I want to?” Susie leans her chair back dangerously, throwing her feet onto her desk with a _thump_ that makes Ralsei visibly flinch. “Why am I supposed to care if the world ends?”

“B-because…” Ralsei’s voice had gone very small, “...because you live in it? And you...would be destroyed too?”

“Buddy. I would _love_ any opportunity to get wiped off the face of the planet. Besides, watching the world burn? Could be kinda fun. Count me out of your stupid quest.”

“Y--you'd _love_ to be destroyed? But why?”

“Stay here for a while and you'll get it, furbrain.”

Ralsei stammers a bit more before looking to you desperately. You shrug--you’re not sure what to do about her, and you’re not totally sure you want her to even come along. You suggest that maybe you and Ralsei can seal the fountain on your own.

Ralsei wrings his hands. “B-but, the prophecy said...there are _three_ Delta Warriors. We need a monster, and I’m _sure_ Susie’s the one!”

“Yeah? Prove it.” 

Ralsei opens his mouth as if to say something, then closes it, staring down at his desk.

“That’s what I thought.”

Ralsei’s shoulders slump as Susie puts her hands behind her head, clearly prepared to sleep until everyone else decides to go home. You briefly wonder why she isn’t more angry about being kept late--you’d think someone like her has much better things to do. You’re not sure what, maybe bully the guys at Ice-E’s P **e** zza, but there has to be _something._ As long as she's not trying to eviscerate you, though, you suppose you're willing to let it slide. You look over and see how dejected Ralsei looks, and you reach over to rest a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He looks up at you with a weak smile.

“Don’t worry, Kris,” Ralsei says in what you assume he thinks is a conspiratorial whisper, “She’ll come around, I know it.”

You’re not so sure, but you smile anyways, and start to explain your assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> susie definitely runs a tumblr blog full of ironic fatalism and you cannot convince me otherwise


End file.
